Russ le Roq

aka Russell Crowe


If you were around the Auckland music scene during the early 1980s, there’s a decent chance that you would have encountered a cocky young wannabe popstar, strutting round town in his leather jacket and tight jeans, and touting himself as the next big thing to anyone who would listen.

Still in his late teens, Russell Crowe was never shy about coming forward. Indeed, arguably the most ironically prophetic title ever found on a New Zealand pop record was on his 1982 single for Ode Records, ‘I Just Wanna Be Like Marlon Brando’.

Russ le Roq (Russell Crowe), 1981
Photo credit: Rykenberg - Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1269-Y8706-08
1983 Q&A publicity blurb for The Romantics
The poster for the second single 'Pier 13'. It sold about 100 copies and was retrospectively tagged as a "Limited Edition."
Russ le Roq's bio, 1983, with a picture of the young "megastar embryonique" in waiting
Russell writes to Rip It Up's Mark Phillips in 1982 - "No ones [sic] heard of the le Roqs"
Photo credit: Murray Cammick Collection
Shazam! - 26 November 1985 (featuring Russ le Roq)
The media release sent out with Russell's 1983 single 'Never Let Ya Slide'
Publicity shot for Russ le Roq and The Romantics
The poster for the debut Russ le Roq single 'I Just Wanna Be Like Marlon Brando', issued in 1982
A 1982 Russ le Roq questionnaire, sent to the eagerly anticipating media
The 1984 Russell Crowe compiled and produced All Dressed Up And No Place To Play new band collection. Sadly every act on here seems to have disappeared without trace.
Russ le Roq and The Romantics: L to R: Graham Silcock, Russell Crowe, Ken Chung, Patrick Roxburgh
Russ le Roq (Russell Crowe), 1981
Photo credit: Rykenberg - Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1269-Y8706-05
Russ le Roq and The Romantics
Sir Robert and Lady Muldoon with the cast of The Rocky Horror Show. Mark Rimmington (Rocky) is on the left, Russ le Roq (Eddie) is on the right. Taken by The Evening Post, May 1986.
Photo credit: Photo by John Nicholson. National Library
Russ le Roq (Russell Crowe), 1981
Photo credit: Rykenberg - Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1269-Y8706-03
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